Saquon Barkley shouldn’t chase the rushing record; Eagles say they need rest; Lions, Vikings play for No. 1 seed

I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation.

There is no debate. Saquon Barkley needs 101 yards to set a rushing record. He would have to play in a meaningless game that would risk injury to exhausted players. He has already carried the ball 345 times, which is 50 more carries than his career high.

He should not touch the field next week. Neither should any other relevant Eagle.

The Eagles are locked in as the No. 2 seed. Starting quarterback Jalen Hurts has a concussion. Backup quarterback Kenny Pickett has injured ribs. Everyone’s exhausted; the Eagles’ bye was Week 5, which means they won’t have had a week off in 91 days when the season finale arrives Sunday. The New York Giants game could not be more meaningless if Rich Kotite was coaching.

» READ MORE: Barkley passed a milestone, but what about Dickerson’s record? ‘I want a banner up there.’

The Eagles had a glimmer of hope to win the NFC East in last year’s finale, so coach Nick Sirianni foolishly played the starters against these same Giants. Hurts dislocated a finger, then played like trash the next week in a wild-card loss at Tampa. Worse, superstar wideout A.J. Brown hurt a knee and missed the playoff game.

Why risk Saquon, or anyone else? The NFL season is about winning enough games to reach the playoffs, then winning playoff games. Records are supposed to be coincidental. This one would be contrived.

Besides, what meaning does the record really have?

Eric Dickerson set the single-season rushing record in 1984, when the season lasted 16 games. He averaged 131.6 yards per game. Barkley just played his 16th game. He has averaged 125.3 yards per game.

Dickerson ranks fourth in average yards per game for backs who played their entire season. O.J. Simpson averaged 143.1 yards over a 14-game season with the Buffalo Bills in 1973, the greatest by a running back in history. Jim Brown, the best football player in history, averaged 133.1 yards over 14 games with the Cleveland Browns in 1963. Walter Payton averaged 132.3 yards for the Chicago Bears in 1977, the NFL’s final 14-game season. Barkley’s average ranks 14th.

Barkley on Sunday became the ninth player to rush for 2,000 yards, and did it in Game 16. It’s legitimate; only O.J., in that 14-game season, and Dickerson — he crossed the plateau in Game 15 — needed fewer than 16 games to reach 2,000.

You should have seen Lane Johnson’s eyes light up Sunday at the prospect of the week off he’d just earned by beating the Dallas Cowboys.

“At the age of 34, that means a lot,” Johnson said.

It means a lot at the age of 23 and 21, too. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter is 23. So is rookie corner Quinyon Mitchell. Fellow rookie corner Cooper DeJean is 21. After a fast start, Carter’s play has declined the last four games; he doesn’t have a sack and he’s tackling like Nnamdi Asomugha. Why? Because after falling off last year as a rookie when he played 599 snaps, he now has played 786, third-most among all defensive tackles, according to Pro Football Focus. DeJean hasn’t made a DeJean-type play in a while. Mitchell was burned in each of the last two games.

Asked Sunday if he was tired after his first 16 NFL games, Mitchell replied, “Oh, yeah. Hell, yeah.”

Barkley, of course, would be happy to take a run at the record:

» READ MORE: Nick Sirianni’s finest hour: Without Jalen Hurts, the coach leads the depleted Eagles to an NFC East title over the Cowboys

“I would love to, but at the end of the day, also, we’ve got bigger things that we’re focusing on. ... It’s up to Nick. And you know, whatever his decision is, I’m all for it.”

Nick? Rest, or record?

“Our goals are bigger.”

You would hope. You would hope he’d learned from last year.

Let’s see if he puts his money where his mouth is.

The Birds blew out the archrival Cowboys by 34 points at home to clinch the NFC East and the No. 2 seed, and it came as the region relaxed between the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Did that make it sweeter?

“Yeah. I mean, a lot of people’s happiness depended on this,” said Johnson, an Eagle for 12 years. “You could feel it in the air. The electricity. We all knew what could be. So yeah, man, we’re fortunate.”

With their win over the Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday moved to 14-2 and set up a top-seed showdown in their finale Sunday at Detroit, which entered its Monday Night Football game at the San Francisco 49ers with a 13-2 record. Even if the Lions lose Monday, a win over the Vikings would make both teams 14-3, and the Lions would have beaten the Vikings twice, winning the tiebreaker. A Vikings win next weekend would leave them at 15-2 and make the Lions 14-3. The winner gets the No. 1 seed and the only bye in the conference’s playoffs. The loser would sink to the No. 5 seed and play on the road, probably against Tampa Bay or Atlanta.

The Miami Dolphins’ win over the Cleveland Browns kept their playoff hopes alive — and hinging on former Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. The Fins need to beat the New York Jets on the road, which is likely, but must also have the Kansas City Chiefs win at Denver. The trouble is, the Chiefs, having secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC, surely won’t play their starters, especially not quarterback Patrick Mahomes. So the Chiefs will start their backup, Wentz, who has not won a meaningful game since October 2022.

» READ MORE: Eagles-Cowboys takeaways: Coaching staff, resurgent defense are battle-tested and playoff-ready

The stupidest rule in sports strikes again: The Falcons (8-8) lost the overtime coin-flip and never got possession as the Washington Commanders scored a touchdown on their OT possession for a 30-24 victory on Sunday night. The loss gave the Buccaneers (9-7) control of their fate; if they win against the visiting New Orleans Saints, or if the Falcons lose to visiting Carolina, the Bucs are in the postseason. If the Bucs lose and the Falcons win, the Falcons are in. The Commanders’ win secured their playoff berth at 11-5. ... Eagles legend Zach Ertz caught the TD pass that sent the Commanders to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. ... NFL MVP candidate Josh Allen’s three total TDs in a blowout win over the Jets made him the first player with 40 total TDs in five straight seasons. The Bills also clinched the No. 2 seed in the AFC. ... Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow kept the Bengals (8-8) in the playoff race and extended his record in an overtime win over the Denver Broncos when he threw for at least 250 yards and three touchdowns in his eighth straight game. ... The Colts’ shootout loss not only ended the Giants’ 10-game losing streak but also ensured that head coaches Shane Steichen in Indianapolis and Jonathan Gannon in Arizona, Sirianni’s coordinators in the 2022 Super Bowl season, will both miss the playoffs for a second straight season.